By: Shealyn Brown
FFA REPORTER
To start off the month of November, nine of our members and two adults left for the National FFA Convention. For the first day, November 1st we traveled to Iowa to tour John Deere Works (the factory that makes the John Deere Construction equipment) and the John Deere Pavilion. They learned about how John Deere heavy equipment is made and about the company’s history.
They also visited Antique Archaeology, home of American Pickers. They finished up in Iowa by eating at the Machine Shed, a farm to table restaurant, before making their way back to Indianapolis.
On the 2nd day of National FFA Convention, the chapter attendees attended the opening session of the National FFA Convention where they were addressed by the Mayor of Indianapolis, Joe Hogsett, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, and the keynote speaker Juan Bendana.
The group then enjoyed the all-you-can-eat buffet and meat platter at Fogo de Chao. They then traveled to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where they learned about the history of IMS and visited the museum. The group was able to take a tour bus around the track and even get out to kiss the famous bricks!
Later, in the day, at the 3rd general session, Joscelyn Layman placed 5th nationally in Division 5 Agriscience Fair in the Animal Systems category.
Bright and early in the morning on November 3rd, the group attended the 4th General Session of the National FFA Convention and cheered on Ingrid Hoffman as she placed 6th nationally for Division 5 Agriscience Fair in Food Systems.
The group then visited the Career Expo and Shopping center at the Indianapolis Convention Center. For supper they enjoyed a plentiful meal at The Cheesecake Factory and then attended the Three Rivers Rodeo held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
On the last day of National FFA Convention, the group celebrated with Hunter Leupp as he walked across the stage to receive his American FFA Degree, which less than 1% of all FFA members earn!
Upon returning to Ohio, on November 6th, Lakota Siegel, Ingrid Hoffman, and Brooke Moreland competed in the District 1 Job Interview CDE. They prepared a resume and cover letter for a hypothetical job of their choice.
They then filled out an application, went through a mock interview, and wrote a follow-up letter. Lakota Siegel placed 1st in Division 2 (Sophomores), Brooke Moreland placed 3rd in Division 3 (Juniors), and Ingrid Hoffman placed 3rd in Division 4 (Seniors).
On November 8th, the Novice and Advanced Parliamentary Procedure Teams both placed first at the County Parliamentary Procedure CDE at Northwest State Community College.
They both completed a general knowledge test and then performed a mock meeting according to Robert’s Rule of Order in front of a panel of judges.
On Saturday, November 11th, several Millcreek-West Unity FFA members helped collect bingo tickets and serve bingo players at the West Unity Lions Club Feather Party.
To follow up Lakota Siegel’s 1st place win in the District Job Interview Contest, he participated in the State Preliminary Job Interview Contest which took place via Zoom. He placed 10th in the state for the Sophomore division.
On November 16th, the Ag Business class visited Handyman Hardware to talk to the Heisey family about partnerships and maintaining a business in a small town.
To round out the month and celebrate Thanksgiving Break, the Animal and Plant Science class prepared their farm-to-table chickens.
The class hatched them at the end of September and then did research on how electrolytes and apple cider vinegar added to water affected the chicken’s growth rates when compared to the control group of water with nothing added.
They wrote a research paper about their findings and then celebrated Thanksgiving early by preparing a homemade meal with the chickens they raised.
They were also challenged to include a homemade bread roll recipe as they will be talking about wheat production later in the year.
With the month of November coming to a close, the chapter looks forward to receiving the fruit sale and companion products and hosting a can drive for the Hilltop Food Pantry!
